Job Role and Organizational Commitment Among Chinese Rural Teachers: The Effects of Emotional Exhaustion and Teacher Resilience

Background: Extensive research has explored occupational stressors related to job roles and their effects on organizational commitment among urban elementary and secondary school teachers yet little is known about these dynamics in rural settings. Methods: This study examined 1,282 rural teachers in China and used structural equation modeling to analyze the relationships among role overload, role ambiguity, role conflict, fatigue, emotional exhaustion, organizational commitment, and teacher resilience. Results: The results indicate that fatigue and emotional exhaustion mediate the link among role overload, role ambiguity, role conflict, and organizational commitment. Additionally, teacher resilience moderates the effects of role overload, role ambiguity, and role conflict on both emotional exhaustion and organizational commitment among Chinese rural teachers. Conclusion: Practical implications suggest a dual intervention approach: (1) structural reforms, redesigning role expectations and workload distribution to mitigate rural teachers' job role stressors, and (2) capacity building, implementing resilience training programs to enhance their coping strategies.